At least 10 young players with 100 league appearances

(Published in the Slovak daily Sport)

Corgoň League football is timidly knocking on the door again. A mild winter spared us the usual spring headaches with postponed matches. Tomorrow’s forecast is around 10 degrees - perfect. That’s England’s year-round average, now if only we could match the quality too.

The professional transfer window closes today. Clubs still have the option to add two out-of-contract professionals by March 15, or amateurs until March 31. So far, how have clubs been strengthening or selling? As usual—very quietly. Not a single player transferred from Slovakia to a top-10 European league. Three former youth internationals left Žilina: Dúbravka to Denmark, and Majtán and Pich to Poland. Duda from Košice is expected to leave soon, if not now, then in the summer. Ružomberok’s striker Lačný departed for Kazakhstan.

No Slovak players have returned home. Depetris and Hanzel both chose the Czech Republic instead. On paper, Nitra’s big foreign signing is Mensah. Senica saw more incoming transfers than others—maybe one of them will become a standout. Elsewhere, it was either a mild breeze or total calm (like at MFK Košice).

The sleepy transfer market might have been stirred only by Slovan, which called up every sky-blue hand and foot for winter preparations. The strongest squad didn’t need additions, but they’ll definitely need reinforcements in the summer before Champions League qualifiers. With a six-point lead over Trenčín and nine points over Ružomberok and Senica, only a series of major slip-ups could cost Slovan another league title. Those three clubs will be battling for second place. Senica, Ružomberok, and Košice can also aim for Europe via the domestic cup.

Dunajská Streda and Nitra are a story of their own, sitting further behind. A disciplinary body is set to decide on a six-point deduction, uncertainty isn’t good for anyone. We all want full fairness in the competition. Will the relegation battle be decided, regardless of the ruling, in a six-point showdown on May 10 in Dunajská Streda? DAC currently has the better head-to-head record, while Nitra can only grumble about a league format that forces them to play two away matches against their main rival.

The 17-point gap between Žilina and last-place Dunajská Streda, or the 21-point gap from Košice (assuming the six-point deduction), means that only DAC or Nitra are in danger of relegation. This unique situation brings peace of mind to all other clubs. Those who find out after the first few spring rounds that the Europa League is out of reach might start giving more opportunities to their younger players. The spring schedule includes only 14 matches. If just 10 previously untested players could collectively reach 100 Corgoň League appearances, it would surely please the youth national team coaches.

Yes, the newly renovated stadiums are still a long way off. The Brazilian motivation (i.e. the World Cup) won’t arrive until June. Dozens of live broadcasts from elite foreign leagues every weekend provide serious competition. But a local dose of football joy - good-quality matches and moments - can still come in the spring Corgoň League season. Let’s hope there will be plenty of it.